[IP] Re: Technology Leaders Favor Online ID Card Over Passwords - NYTimes.com

[David Farber <dave@farber.net>]

________________________________________
From: Rich Kulawiec [rsk@gsp.org]
Sent: Tuesday, June 24, 2008 8:39 AM
To: David Farber
Subject: Re: [IP] Technology Leaders Favor Online ID Card Over Passwords - NYTimes.com

On Tue, Jun 24, 2008 at 12:01:38AM -0400, David Farber quoted:
> SAN FRANCISCO ? Microsoft, Google and PayPal, a unit of eBay, are among
> the founders of an industry organization that hopes to solve the problem
> of password overload among computer users.

But there's no such problem; with free software like Schneier's
"Password Safe", it's very easy to keep track of many passwords.

> The idea is to bring the concept of an identity card, like a driver?s
> license, to the online world. Rather than logging on to sites with user
> IDs and passwords, people will gain access to sites using a secure
> digital identity that is overseen by a third party.

Which means that when (not if) the third party is successfully hacked,
then the users' credentials will command a higher price on the open
market because they'll facilitate access to more than one site.

Oh, and would anyone like to make a side bet on how many days will elapse
before the third party is served with a national security letter compelling
full disclosure of every scrap of information in its possession and of
course forbidding it from announcing this publicly?

---Rsk



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